13092026-LSTL-01.qxd 9/12/2026 8:05 PM Page 1 c m y b JAMES BOND GETS READY! The first draft of the script for the next James Bond film has been completed, screenwriter Steven Knight has confirmed, offering a major update on the 26th instalment of the long-running franchise as attention remains focused on who will replace Daniel Craig as 007. The film will be directed by Denis Villeneuve. TRIBUNE Mommy Gaga Life Lady Gaga and her fiancé, Michael Polansky have welcomed their first child together. The couple has not publicly disclosed the newborn’s name, sex or exact date of birth. Gaga, and Polansky have kept a low profile in recent months. LUDHIANA | SUNDAY | 13 SEPTEMBER 2026 Venice, Mirzapur The Movie & Hanuman Ansh rule the BO: Trade experts decode their success Franchisefurymeetsfaith with a side of From Formula 1 glamour to Hollywood royalty, Venice’s red carpet was high on star power, style and swooning couples REBECCA DONALDSON AND CARLOS SAINZ romance The Venice Film Festival may be about the cinema, but the stars know how to serve up a little romance on the side. This year’s red carpets brought an irresistible parade of famous pairs — from Formula 1 glamour to Hollywood royalty, with plenty of hand-holding, coy smiles and stolen kisses along the way. There was Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem; Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse, and George and Amal Clooney, effortlessly proving that some couples simply get better with time. Call it the Venice effect: great cinema, spectacular fashion — and couples who know exactly how to make the cameras linger. GEORGE & AMAL CLOONEY A glamorous pit stop in Venice Carlos Sainz & Rebecca Donaldson Formula 1 star Carlos Sainz and model Rebecca Donaldson traded the racetrack for the red carpet, arriving hand-inhand for Venice’s opening ceremony. A rather glamorous pit stop for the Ferrari driver and his fashionworld girlfriend. Power couple steals the spotlight: Penélope Cruz & Javier Bardem Hollywood’s Spanish pow- BROOKLYN BECKHAM & NICOLA PELTZ Akhil Kumar Firewood is usually valued for the warmth it provides, destined to disappear in a kitchen stove or winter hearth. But in the hands of an artist, a piece of wood can acquire an entirely different life. What was once meant to be chopped and burnt is being carved, shaped and transformed into art. Not the polished timber, but rough, crooked pieces gathered for winter — some with uneven curves and weathered textures. In Rohru, in Shimla district, such pieces were simply part of everyday life. Until one day, Rajisha K Rajan began looking at them differently. During the recent gas shortage, the experimental artist noticed local women collecting firewood for their homes. Rajisha had seen such pieces countless times before, but this time they appeared different. Their irregular forms seemed almost sculptural, each carrying a shape of its own, as if nature had already done the designing. And then came a question that would change the way Rajisha looked at er couple brought the sweet nothings — and serious chemistry — to the carpet. They’re in Venice for Florian Zeller’s Bunker, in which they play a married couple caught in a crisis. The film received a thunderous16-minute standing ovation. Smiles all around Robert Pattinson & Suki Waterhouse Actor Robert Pattinson and singer-actress Suki Waterhouse were beaming from ear to ear as they arrived for Primetime, Pattinson’s Venice competition film. He plays a fictionalised version of TV host Chris Hansen; she was there cheering him on — and looking every bit the rock-star partner. The Beckhams turn heads: Brooklyn & Nicola Peltz Beckham Putting family rift with Beckhams to side, Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz painted the town red. She with her coy smile, and he affectionately tucking her hair back and the duo with camera-ready kiss. Nicola was in Venice to receive a Rising Star award for her growing work in film, with Brooklyn by her side. A golden night for the Clooneys: George & Amal Clooney George Clooney arrived as Hollywood royalty — and left with one of Venice’s biggest honours, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. Amal, the human-rights lawyer and style force, was stunning beside him. As he held her waist, one could argue the Hollywood hunk had married a woman already one step ahead. ROBERT PATTINSON & SUKI WATERHOUSE Subhash K Jha I NDIAN cinema is witnessing an extraordinary box office clash as Mirzapur The Movie and the devotional drama Hanuman Ansh have turned into certified blockbusters. What makes this run fascinating is that it pits a massive, highly-anticipated action franchise against an unexpected, low-budget spiritual phenomenon. Released on September 4, Mirzapur The Movie, a big screen outing of the wildly popular web series, took the box office by storm right from its opening weekend. It raked in an impressive ~58 crore nett in just its first two days and hit the ~100 crore milestone by its first Sunday. It has collected over ~220 crore so far. Hanuman Ansh is the miracle hit. Directed by Vishal Chaturvedi and based on the life of Neem Karoli Baba, this film is being hailed as one of Hindi cinema’s biggest success stories relative to its budget. Released on August 7, it slowly built momentum through incredible word-ofmouth. Instead of slowing down in its fifth week, it went on a record-breaking rampage—shattering records by collecting over ~16 crore on its 30th day alone and officially crossing the ~100 crore mark on Day 31. It has accrued ~170 crore so far. Hindi cinema is witnessing a historic box office surge as Mirzapur The Movie and Hanuman Ansh run riot in theatres, defying traditional Bollywood stardom logic. Both films have ignited phenomenal audience engagement, driving massive crowds to multiplexes and single screens alike during the holiday frame. The contrasting but equally explosive trajectories of these two cinematic forces are reshaping industry expectations. Filmmaker Anubhav Sin- D. Pharma | B. Pharma | M. Pharma | Pharm. D Approved by PCI & Affiliated to MRS-PTU & PSBTE & IT B.Tech | Law | Nursing | Paramedical | BPT | B.Ed traditional, elite Bollywood A-listers. Instead, they rely on strong intellectual property (Mirzapur) or pure, word-of-mouth devotion (Hanuman Ansh). Strong holiday growth across territories like Maharashtra (up 50 per cent on Day 2 for Mirzapur) and highly active tier-2/tier-3 hubs in states like Bihar are anchoring these multi-crore numbers. The unprecedented runs of these two films have directly impacted and put significant pressure on other concurrent heavy-weight releases, including the big-budget South Indian film Toxic starring Yash and the Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khanstarrer Haiwaan as the current twin box office giants prove that stars are no longer the audiences’ PENÉLOPE CRUZ & JAVIER BARDEM ‘Sisters forever’ Where every imperfection Kareena Kapoor Khan recreates Karisma’s Zubeidaa sareelook becomes design wood: what if it could become art? That thought marked the beginning of Peblora Studio. Looking at the firewood around with an artist’s eye, Rajisha began collecting pieces from local villagers, drawn to their natural and unusual forms. Each piece offered a different possibility. A crooked branch suggested one form, a twisted root hinted at another. Instead of forcing the wood into a predetermined shape, Rajisha began working around what nature had already created. The next challenge was finding someone willing to turn those ideas ha notes that these are not “freak hits” but loud indicators of shifting preferences. Neither film is driven by prime attraction. Trade expert Taran Adarsh thinks the twin-tower phenomenon is unprecedented. “The box office is witnessing an extraordinary phase right now – with Mirzapur and Hanuman Ansh both enjoying terrific runs simultaneously. The performance of Mirzapur and Hanuman Ansh has recharged the industry. Two movies delivering big numbers simultaneously – it’s an encouraging phenomenon for the industry. What makes this even more remarkable is their contrasting journeys. Mirzapur has exploded at the ticket window from Day 1, while Hanuman Ansh has rewritten the rules of the game through phenomenal word of mouth. From being written off in its first two weeks to emerging as a blockbuster, its journey is nothing short of extraordinary.” Adds exhibitor and distributor Akshaye Rathi, “What’s unique about these two films, Mirzapur and Hanuman Ansh, is the fact that you have two absolute runaway blockbusters without any Alist or star in them. I mean, if you look at it, Mirzapur is top-lined by Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal and, you know, Divyendu. And similarly, Hanuman Ranch is an absolutely new cast.” into reality. She eventually found a local carpenter who agreed to experiment. What followed was months of experimentation. The pieces were cleaned, treated, sanded, sealed and finished before being wired and transformed into functional works of art. Through every stage, however, one principle remained unchanged i.e., not to erase what made each piece unique. Knots, cracks, curves and irregularities were not imperfections to be concealed. They became the design itself. Rajisha is showcasing her creations at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, Chandigarh. The exhibition concludes today. Russell Crowe gets emotional Actor Russell Crowe was in tears at the Venice International Film Festival after the screening of his directorial documentary What Love Builds, which sheds light on his lesser-known music career. According to reports, as Crowe entered the theatre for the screening of his film, the fans started cheering for their favourite actor. The crowd clapped and cheered as the documentary interwove live performance with an interview of Crowe recounting both his film and music careers. The screening concluded with a short but rowdy two-minute ovation, brought to a premature end when Crowe, who was wiping tears from his eyes, decided to exit. — ANI c m y b Bollywood diva Kareena Kapoor Khan on Friday stepped out for the promotions of her upcoming film Daayra. For the event, she donned a rainbow-hued chiffon saree. Her look instantly reminded many cinema buffs of her sister Karisma Kapoor’s iconic look from Zubeidaa, where the actress wore an almost identical saree.After attending the song launch, Kareena also shared a picture featuring her look alongside Karisma’s from Zubeidaa, highlighting the striking similarity between the two. In the caption, she wrote, “Well I always knew we had a good taste...sisters forever.” Kareena’s film Daayra is scheduled to be released on September 18. The film stars Kareena and Prithviraj Sukumaran as cops who face off while navigating the dark and complex world of juvenile crime. — ANI